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Mischa Barton held a press conference with her attorney, Lisa Bloom, Wednesday morning in Woodland Hills to announce she is taking legal action in a "revenge pornography"case.

Actress Mischa Barton said Wednesday she is taking action to stop the potential sale of a sex tape made against her will in a so-called "revenge pornography" case.

Barton held a news conference with her attorney to announce that she has obtained a restraining order, and that cease-and-desist letters were sent to those believed to be participating in attempts to buy or sell the images.

"I just want to say that I have been put through an incredibly hard and trying time," said the 31-year-old actress best known for appearing on "The O.C." television show that aired on Fox from 2003 to 2007.

"This is a painful situation, and my absolute worst fear was realized when I learned that someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments without my consent, with hidden cameras," she said, reading from a prepared statement.

"And then I learned something even worse, that someone is trying to sell these videos and make them public," Barton said. "I came forward to fight this, not only for myself but for all the women out there. I want to protect them from the pain and humiliation that I have had to go through."

Barton's lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said someone the actress once dated is shopping the tape for a half-million dollars. She called it a form of sexual assault and said anyone who buys the tape could be prosecuted.

"There's a name for this disgusting conduct: revenge pornography," Bloom said in a statement Tuesday. "Revenge pornography is a form of sexual assault, and it is also a crime and a civil wrong in California. And we will not stand for it."